Lantana plant named &#39;bante cheria&#39;

ABSTRACT

A  lantana  plant particularly distinguished by mainly red to cherry-red and partly yellow to orange flowers, a continuous, abundant and mid-season flowering response, deep green foliage with ovate leaves, medium vigor, a compact and mounding plant habit and a well-branched and tight plant habit, is disclosed.

GENUS AND SPECIES

Lantana camara

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘Bante Cheria’

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of lantana,botanically known as Lantana camara and hereinafter referred to by thecultivar name ‘Bante Cheria’. The new cultivar originated from ahybridization made in October 2002 in Gilroy, Calif. The female parentwas ‘22-1’, a proprietary rose-flowered lantana plant (unpatented),while the male parent was ‘22-2’, a proprietary fuschia-flowered lantanaplant (unpatented).

The new cultivar was created in October 2002 in Gilroy, Calif. and hasbeen asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissueculture in Gilroy, Calif. over a two and one-half-year period. The planthas also been trialed at Gilroy, Calif., Andijk, The Netherlands, andHillscheid, Germany. The present invention has been found to retain itsdistinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.

Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar have been applied for in Canadaon Mar. 31, 2005 and with the European Union on Oct. 14, 2005.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following are the most outstanding and distinguishingcharacteristics of the new cultivar when grown under normalhorticultural practices in Gilroy, Calif. and Hillscheid, Germany.

-   -   1. Mainly red to cherry-red and partly yellow to orange flowers;    -   2. A continuous, abundant and mid-season flowering response;    -   3. Deep green foliage with ovate leaves;    -   4. Medium vigor;    -   5. A compact and mounding plant habit; and    -   6. A well-branched and tight plant habit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

This new lantana plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographswhich show overall plant habit including blooms, buds and foliage of theplant; the colors shown are as true as can be reasonably obtained byconventional photographic procedures. The photos are of plants in aspring through fall trial setting.

FIG. 1 shows the overall plant habit, including inflorescences, buds andfoliage of three 23-week old plants in a tub.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the mature inflorescence.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctivecharacteristics of ‘Bante Cheria’. The data which define thesecharacteristics were collected from asexual reproductions carried out inHillscheid, Germany. The plant history was taken on 9- to 11-week-oldplants, pinched once and grown 12-cm plastic pots in a greenhouse inHillscheid, Germany in Summer 2005. Observations were made in earlySeptember 2005 when the plants were beginning to flower. Color readingswere taken under natural light. Color references are primarily to theR.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London(R.H.S.) (2001 edition).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

-   Classification:    -   -   Family.—Verbenaceae.        -   Botanical.—Lantana camara.        -   Common name.—Lantana.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female parent.—‘22-1’, a proprietary (unpatented)            rose-flowered lantana plant.        -   Male parent.—‘22-2’, a proprietary (unpatented)            fuschia-flowered lantana plant.-   Growth:    -   -   Form.—A shrub; the growing parts of the plant are            herbaceous, while the plant base and the older stems are            woody; commercially, it is grown as an annual.        -   Growth and branching habit.—Compact to mounding plant habit.        -   Height (measured from the top of the soil).—19.7 cm.        -   Width (horizontal plant diameter).—16.4 cm.        -   Time to produce a finished flowering plant.—12- to 13-weeks            for a 12-cm pot in the Spring.        -   Outdoor plant performance.—Use in containers and hanging            baskets.        -   Time to initiate and develop roots.—24 days.        -   Root description.—Fibrous and self-branching.-   Stems:    -   -   Number of branches per plant.—6.7.        -   Length.—15 cm to 19 cm.        -   Diameter (measured from the midpoint).—0.3 cm; immature            stems are square.        -   Internode length.—1.0 cm to 2.5 cm.        -   Color.—Immature (growing) stems: RHS 138A Mature (woody)            stems: RHS 165A with RHS 159A stripes.        -   Anthocyanin.—Absent.        -   Texture.—Setose (covered with stiff hair).-   Leaves:    -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite and decussate.        -   Fragrance.—The foliage has a lemon-like fragrance.        -   Immature leaf.—Color: Upper surface: RHS 143B Lower surface:            Between RHS 143C and RHS 144C.        -   Mature leaf.—Color: Upper surface: Mainly RHS 137A (deep            green), while older leaves are a deeper green between RHS            137A and RHS 139A Lower surface: RHS 137D Length: Up to 7.5            cm Width: Up to 5.3 cm Shape: Ovate, wide Apex: Acute Base:            Truncate to slightly cordate Margin: Serrate Texture:            Sparsely pubescent and somewhat glossy; lower surface is            densely pubescent, setose, mainly along the leaf veins            Venation: Pinnate Venation color: RHS 146D for the lower            surface; the upper surface is indistinct.        -   Petioles.—Length: 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm Diameter: 0.02 cm Color:            RHS 146C Texture: Rough with short pubescence.-   Flower buds:    -   -   Shape.—Tubular and narrow.        -   Length.—1.5 cm.        -   Diameter (at the tip).—Up to 0.6 cm.        -   Color (at tight bud).—RHS 21A at the tip, while the lower            part is RHS 42A.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Blooming habit.—Flowers continuously from Spring through            Fall; flowers appear about 12 weeks after planting of rooted            cuttings; inflorescences usually appear in pairs from a            nodium with one inflorescence per leaf axil.        -   Fragrance.—None.        -   Inflorescence type.—Umbel-like; flattened semi-sphere and            subtended by a ring of leaflets; the florets are sessile on            an ovate receptacle.        -   Horizontal diameter of inflorescence.—4.2 cm to 4.7 cm.        -   Vertical depth of inflorescence.—Up to 2.1 cm.        -   Number of inflorescences per plant.—12 to 15 (about 2            inflorescences per stem).        -   Number of florets per inflorescence.—18 to 23.        -   Peduncle.—Length: Up to 0.6 cm Diameter: 0.2 cm to 0.25 cm            Color: RHS 143B Texture: Covered with rough pubescence.        -   Pedicels.—None, flowers are sessile.-   Flowers:    -   -   Floret form.—Composed of 5 petals that are mostly fused;            salver-shaped to shallow cup-shaped and zygomorphic, with a            relatively long tube at the base.        -   Corolla diameter.—1.0 cm to 1.3 cm.        -   Floret depth.—1.6 cm.        -   Immature flower (face).—Color: Upper surface: RHS 12A Lower            surface: RHS 18C.        -   Mature flower (face).—Color: Upper surface: Mainly            bluish-red, deeper than RHS 57A, RHS 12A (yellow) and RHS            34C (orange) Lower surface: RHS 63B (purple-pink) for the            margin and the main part and somewhat lighter, RHS 64D, at            the center Corolla tube: Shape: Narrow tube Length: 1.3 cm            Diameter (at opening): 0.3 cm Color: Outer surface: Mainly            RHS 63A Inner surface: About RHS 53C Texture: Densely            pubescent.        -   Petals.—Length of lobe: 0.3 cm to 0.4 cm Diameter of lobe:            0.6 cm to 0.7 cm Lobe shape: Salver-shaped Apex: Rounded            Base: Fused Margin: Mainly entire Degree of lobation:            Moderate Texture: Smooth.        -   Calyx.—General: Composed of 5 fused sepals forming a short            tube around the base of the floret Shape: Tube-shaped            Length: 0.3 cm Diameter: 0.2 cm to 0.3 cm Color: RHS 139D            (pale green) Apex (of sepals): Acute Base (of sepals): Fused            Margin (of sepals): Entire or slightly fringed Texture:            Densely pubescent.-   Reproductive organs:    -   -   Stamens.—Quantity: 4, which protrude from the floret tube            Filament color: RHS 155A (whitish) Filament diameter: 0.1 cm            Filament length: About 0.9 cm Anther color: RHS 1A (yellow)            Anther length: 0.1 cm Anther shape: Spindle-shaped Pollen            amount: Sparse Pollen color: RHS 18A (yellow).        -   Pistil.—Quantity: One Length: 0.6 cm Style diameter: 0.1 cm            Stigma color: RHS 144C (pale-green) Style color: RHS 155A            (whitish).-   Fruit/seed set: Occasionally; blueberry-like fruits are formed;    mature fruits are RHS N186A (black), glossy, round, slightly    flattened, 0.7 cm in diameter and 0.5 cm in length.-   Disease and insect resistance: None observed.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTAL AND COMMERCIAL CULTIVARS

‘Bante Cheria’ differs from the female parent ‘22-1’ (unpatented) inthat ‘Bante Cheria’ has mainly red to cherry-red and partly yellow toorange flowers, while ‘22-1’ has rose flowers. Additionally, ‘BanteCheria’ has darker green foliage and a more compact plant habit than‘22-1’.

‘Bante Cheria’ differs from the male parent ‘22-2’ (unpatented) in that‘Bante Cheria’ has mainly red to cherry-red and partly yellow to orangeflowers, while ‘22-2’ has fuschia flowers. Additionally, ‘Bante Cheria’has darker green foliage than ‘22-2’.

‘Bante Cheria’ differs from the commercial variety ‘Robcomplan’ (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 9,837) in that ‘Bante Cheria’ has a more compact planthabit and rounder leaf shape than ‘Robcomplan’. Additionally, theimmature leaves of ‘Bante Cheria’ are lighter green than the leaves of‘Robcomplan’.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of lantana plant as shown and describedherein.